About

GRSM Cannabis Chronicles Blog

The last decade has seen explosive growth of the cannabis industry, with federal, state and local laws struggling to keep up. Though cannabis with delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) greater than .3% by dry weight remains illegal at the federal level, cannabis of all kinds has been legalized for adult-use or medicinal purposes by 35 states, Washington D.C., and counting. Whether you grow, sell, distribute, refine, extract, market, or refine cannabis, cannabis products, or ancillary products, or have employees who work in the cannabis industry, understanding these issues, as well as the nuances of the state and local laws where your business operates, are critical to maintaining a successful cannabis business. Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has launched this blog to keep you – the pragmatic cannabis businessperson – apprised and current with the key legal developments across the nation to enable you to make the best decisions for your enterprise. And when things get complicated or when the rules change, you will have access to one of the largest national Cannabis, Hemp & CBD Practice Groups that is willing, able, and ready to advise you in all 50 states. No matter what your issue — defending your business in a lawsuit, negotiating an agreement with a supplier, counseling you on employment matters, mergers and acquisitions, or ensuring that you have the appropriate state and local authority to operate — you name it, if its cannabis, hemp or CBD we have you covered.

Editors:

Philip Robert Brinson is a partner and the founding member of the Cannabis, Hemp & CBD practice group and lead for the Entertainment and Recreation Law practice group of GRSM. He is an experienced trial lawyer with unique skills developed through practical experience. He is a trusted advisor and determined advocate, as well as a formidable adversary. His depth of legal experience in a variety of practice areas, includes cannabis, entertainment, fashion, media, sports, hospitality and retail, intellectual property, employment, products liability, professional liability, as well as business and commercial litigation. Mr. Brinson represents both self-insured and insured clients, ranging from high-profile Grammy® and Emmy® award winning entertainers and producers to Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Brinson has litigation experience covering a wide range of issues related to the cannabis, entertainment, sports, fashion, agriculture/ranch management, and hospitality industries, and provides advice and lobby support for each of these industries.

Douglas Smurr is co-founder of the Cannabis, Hemp & CBD Practice Group, Mr. Smurr has maintained an active cannabis and hemp practice since 2008, representing clients at the municipal, county, state, and court of appeal levels. He currently represents one of the largest cannabis entities in the United States and jointly represents clients in various states in the hemp, CBD, medicinal and adult-use cannabis sectors. His extensive cannabis, hemp and CBD practice covers licensing, regulation, land use and permits, business formation and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, international investment, banking, insurance, compliance with federal and state regulatory agencies, intellectual property, governmental relations, and related state and federal litigation.

Christopher Strunk is a co-lead of the Cannabis, Hemp and CBD practice group. An AV-rated environmental and commercial litigator with 22 years of experience, Mr. Strunk has represented both ancillary and plant-touching clients in the industrial hemp and cannabis sector since 2014. Most recently, he obtained a complete dismissal of a multimillion dollar breach of contract and alleged intellectual property conversion claim for a large hydroponics distributor. He has also successfully defended ancillary business owners in catastrophic personal injury litigation. When not litigating, he assists companies in complying with state environmental laws, managing downstream risk, drafting liability-limiting agreements. Mr. Strunk is nationally recognized for his work on the environmental issues facing the cannabis industry, including litigation risks, state regulations, and agency enforcement. He has previously served as the vice chair of programming for the American Bar Association’s TIPS Cannabis Law Committee, and serves on the Defense Research Institute’s Cannabis Law Conference Committee. He is a prolific author, recently publishing “How Green is the “Green Rush”? Recognizing the Environmental Concerns Facing the Cannabis Industry,” in Volume 21 (2019-2020) of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. His nationally-published work has also been featured in the Defense Research Institute’s The Voice and in the American Bar Association Environmental Law Section’s The Year in Review 2018. This was a first-of-its kind analysis of these concerns. In 2018, DataBird Research Journal named Mr. Strunk one of “250 Cannabis Law Experts.” In addition, he is a member of the National Cannabis Bar Association and the San Francisco Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Section.

Sarah Turner’s practice with the Cannabis, Hemp, and CBD practice groups include counseling employers on their respective state regulations and how those laws affect the employer’s workplace drug policies, drafting drug and alcohol policies and testing guidelines, and representing businesses and individuals in cannabis-related employment matters, and contract and partnership disputes. Ms. Turner also presents nationwide to employers and organizations on cannabis and the workplace focusing on what employers can and cannot do, and accommodations under their respective medicinal and recreational use laws.